Titans Short Collection
by RaeDeAnne
Summary: A collection of short stories highlighting various moments in Titans Tower and Jump City. Primarily BBRae and RobStar ships, but will span across a variety of characters and relationships. Stories are not consecutive or chronological, but are ultimately set in the same universe and timeline.
1. Cakes Generally Have Recipes::BBxRae

**Author's Note:** I wrote this for my birthday in May. I wasn't feeling like doing anything, but I couldn't imagine my birthday passing without writing something. So what better than writing about my absolute favorite ship ever? Raven and Garfield have had a special place in my heart since watching the show as a kid, but I also have come to adore their comic personas, so I think this is somewhere in between the two. And after watching "Pirates" last night on Teen Titans Go!, hopefully this will be appreciated. It's a first attempt to write these two, but I do love them and hope I did them justice.

The cover photo is art by my lovely best friend, Jo, who knows Raven is my favorite fictional character of all time. I even used to meditate as a kid whenever I got mad. Still do, I guess, but she was a great example of doing the right thing in the face of adversity. If you wanna see this, or more of her art, check out hotcuppahjo-art on tumblr.

Reviews and requests are welcome! I want to write more about them and their companions. The Titans will always hold a special place in my heart.

* * *

"Cakes Generally Have Recipes"

* * *

"But it's not my birthday," she said, confused. Moments before, she'd walked into the Tower commons and been ambushed by the green shape-shifter. "Happy birthday Raven!" he'd shouted, leaping from the couch and galloping the few strides to greet her at the door. But it really wasn't her birthday.

His eager face was just above her's, eyes wide and excited as they locked with her dull ones. Every time she was this close to him, she noticed the little details about his face. He hadn't shaved since yesterday and dark green stubble spotted his chin. His bushy eyebrows arched high, far more expressive than hers ever were. She let herself memorize every minor thing, because she rarely let herself feel at all, but this feeling she was learning to embrace.

"I know it's probably not your actual birthday," he said, rolling his eyes for emphasis. "I had – what – 365 days to guess from? Not the best odds. But!" He took her hand from beneath her cloak and tugged her towards the counter. "Since you wouldn't tell me last night when your actual birthday is, I had to guess. So we're celebrating your birth today."

She tried to keep her face still. They'd had that conversation in the sanctuary of her room last night. And no one was allowed in the sanctuary of her room. The idea that Garfield Logan was becoming an exception was still a tender topic for her. Especially since the rest of the Titans were scattered across the room in the middle of various activities. "I wouldn't tell you because I don't have parties. My birth isn't exactly something to celebrate."

He spun to face her, his hand tightening around hers. Expression intense, his eyes darted evenly between hers. "Some people beg to differ."

In contrast to the narrowing of her eyes, her heart jumped.

Gar's face only ever stayed serious for so long as he spun again toward the counter. With a flourish, he revealed the biggest surprise yet. A sagging cake lounged on the counter. The icing attempted to be black, but the mix of food coloring had only resulted in a muddied purple. White highlights around the edges dripped down the sides. Jagged words, written in the same white, read only, "HB Rae." It was a pitiable cake that pretended to be greater than it was.

Gar was a decent cook when it came to food's that mattered to him. Mostly that included tofu-based dishes. His expertise clearly didn't extend to confectionary masterpieces.

"It's –" she began. Words raced through her head but none of them quite fit. Despite the unfortunate state of the cake, he gesture was well-meaning and heart-felt. And the cake had an unusual appeal to it. Interesting. Crooked. Miserable. "Adorable," she decided.

Just the right amount of avoidance and compliment.

Apparently, it was a good response. The word lit his face up. "Go ahead! Try some." He yanked open the nearest drawer and withdrew two forks.

"Just dig in?" she asked. He nodded vigorously. "Is there tofu in it?" It couldn't hurt to ask. Just to be certain.

Incredulously, he pulled back and his mouth turned up. "What kind of chef do you take me for? Am I so predictable?"

For a moment, her confusion showed in a series of blinks.

"Rae, it's a cake. There's no tofu in it."

"It's a legitimate query." Her fork hovered over the corner of the cake. Hesitation set in as she considered eating the thing. And without a plate. And partly as she realized she didn't want to ruin it.

Pausing one last time, she asked, "Did you get a picture?"

To her surprise, he laughed. "That good, huh? Yeah. I wanted to write out the whole thing on the cake, but Cy thought I might ruin the cake with my handwriting." That amused her. If the cake could be worse for wear, she was at a loss for how.

"Cyborg helped you?" Another stall, she knew. Her gaze floated to the other Titans in the room. Most were purposefully averting their attention. Starfire, she noticed, was actually reading a magazine upside down. Her stomach twisted as she realized their relationship – her best kept secret – was no secret to anyone else. Maybe they had even known much longer than she had. That thought almost brought a flush to her cheeks.

"Well, everyone helped me, actually. It was a group effort. But when it came to celebrating, they all mysteriously had to tend to other things." Gar waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Still we wish you a very happy day of birth!" Star called from the couch. Her unruly red hair spilled over the cushions. Dick hushed her and she quickly returned to her upside-down magazine.

Raven's lips trembled with the ghost of a smile. She touched the fork to the cake to take a bit, but the icing wouldn't give. Even with a little more force, she couldn't crack the cake.

"Huh," Gar mumbled. "That's strange."

"Did you follow the recipe?" She couldn't help but ask, though his sheepish look already gave her her answer. His cheeks darkened in a blush.

"There are recipes for this sort of thing?"

She wanted to slam her forehead into the cake, but she didn't break her poise. "Cakes generally have recipes."

"We didn't –" he paused. "Kori! You said you knew how to bake a cake! Is this even edible?"

"On Tamaran," she called back, "we –" Dick interrupted her with a hand over her mouth, reminding her of their silent pact to let Rae and Gar alone. Her eyes widened and she fell silent again, humming instead of answering.

"On Tamaran," Gar mumbled. "Great." He heaved the biggest, over-dramatic sigh, looking ridiculous with his built figure. Then he raised his hands in a shrug, "At least Cy will still eat it, yeah?"

"No way man!" Victor hollered back. "I'll eat most things, but I'm not going near the sugar rock from Tamaran." Kori shot him a look, but his eyebrows only raised in a challenge.

"It's okay," Raven assured the beast of a man behind her. His brows tugged down over his eyes with frustration. "It's okay, really. Now we won't have to ruin it."

"I wanted to give you something special," he said, groping for an explanation. He looked hopeless. A little like his cake.

Taking a deep breath and taking a risk, she lay her hand cautiously on his chest. His jaw still worked, grinding his teeth, bone on bone. But he met her steady gaze and his features began to relax at her touch. "Sorry, Rae."

"No one has ever wanted to celebrate my birthday. Much less put any effort into it." He averted his eyes, but she used her other hand to pull his chin back so he looked at her. "I'd say I already have something special."

The spark in his eyes was worth tolerating the excited giggle from Kori on the couch.


	2. Soup for the Demon Soul::BBxRae

**Author's Note: **When _Stella Bella_ requested a sick Beast Boy, my mind immediately started coming up with ideas. I got so excited about them that I stayed up late trying to finish. This short is dedicated to _Stella Bella_ for the wonderful idea! I'd love to hear what you think. I'm very happy with this story and I hope you are too!

I know I've had only BBxRae so far. A lot of stories will be that way, probably, since they are my highest favorite, but other ships will be involved as well. I plan to write at least one story for BBxTerra week, which should appear here sometime in the coming week. They may not be my OTP, but I definitely think Gar needed his relationship with Terra to grow.

Reviews and (as should be obvious by this story) requests are welcome. Enjoy!

* * *

"Soup for the Demon Soul"

* * *

Nothing she'd seen in her life was quite so pitiful as the lump of mangy fur piled on her bed. Every time she looked over at the dog, it whined, making it that much more pathetic. Puppy dog persuasive eyes peered out from it's furry brows and it's tongue lolled sideways out of it's mouth. To avoid the dog's inhuman influence, she turned to her vanity, purposefully positioning her back to the beast.

The bowl of soup on the desk steamed profusely, carrying the broth's scent to nose. Vegan, of course, but with a little kick... A stir of the spoon and the mysterious spice disappeared into the thick liquid. Undetectable, except maybe in taste, but it would be tolerable.

A glance back at the shaggy dog confirmed it hadn't moved. The eyes loomed larger than they had before fixing her with the saddest stare she'd ever seen from a human being. It blinked, eyes shining with voiceless pleading for... something ridiculous probably.

"Stop doing that," she said. "You'll make me sick."

With a final piteous groan, the green dog morphed back into a man. Only, the man looked nearly as miserable as the dog had: with the same drooping, bushy brows, the same pleading, emerald eyes, and a line of drool where his tongue had been moments before.

She made a gesture to wipe her chin repeatedly and his eyes widened as he took the hint. Curiously he turned away to nudge the drool from his face, as if she hadn't already seen it. These were the still precious moments of their relationship.

"That didn't help much," she admitted honestly. "You're still looking at me the same way."

"Lovingly?" he offered.

"Pathetically."

"Aren't they the same thing when it comes to loving you?" He shot her a fang-filled smile, but his voice hitched and he fell into a fit of coughs. Raven tucked her skirt and legs underneath her as she climbed on to the bed beside him.

"Soup?" she offered him the still steaming bowl.

Though he accepted the bowl, he sniffed over it suspiciously. "What's in it?"

Raven feigned hurt. "Vegetables. It's veggie broth."

"Rae... I didn't think... What else is in it?" He stirred the orange tinted broth, but nothing unusual surfaced. "Okay, granted my nose is mostly broken, but I know you, Rae."

"I promise it's all natural." She ran her fingers through the long hair tucked behind her ear so a curtain of darkness fell across her face. Between violet strands, she watched Garfield raise the spoon cautiously to his lips. He slurped loudly for effect then smacked his lips.

"Okay, so it's not bad." Then he lurched forward, his face contorting into disgust. "What the hell is the aftertaste?"

"There's an aftertaste?" she asked innocently, still hiding behind her hair.

"Yeah, something sickly sweet..." he trailed off as he noticed her hair. "God Rae, just tell me what you put in it." When she didn't respond right away, he took the liberty of tucking her hair back behind her ear.

"Sambucus nigra," she admitted.

He exhaled dramatically, but experimentally tasted another spoonful. "English?"

"Black elderberry," she said.

"Which does what?"

"Medicinally treats flu."

The spoon clattered angrily against the ceramic as he dug another swallow fro the bowl. "Remind me why I can't pick up a prescription from the corner store like a normal person?"

"Because you have me as your girlfriend," she said simply.

Gar twirled the spoon forlornly in front of his face. "At least my girlfriend makes a decent veggie soup. Until she ruins it with weird herbs I've never heard of."

A black aura yanked the spoon from his fingers, then promptly thwacked him on the nose. "Gah! Rae!" He fumbled to grab the spoon back from the air.

"While we're at it," she mused allowing him to catch the spoon as she spoke, "remind me why we can't go on a date to a steakhouse."

Beast Boy had given up on the spoon all together. His thumb pinned it to the side of the bowl as he tilted it to his lips. When he'd taken several swigs, he handed the bowl to her and glared down at his tongue as if his taste buds had offended him. "So we both have our quirks."

"I have more for you to put up with," she said, placing the near empty bowl on the nearby nightstand.

"You can't mean that. You have a boyfriend who has literally had fleas. And unusual amounts of body hair. And whines when he's sick."

"I'd put up with that any day," she murmured.

"Kiss me?" He whined, teasingly and only to make his point.

"You're sick," she reminded him.

"And?"

With a flourish, she pressed her cold lips to his unusually warm cheek. When she drew back, she brushed the green skin with backs of her knuckles. "That will have to do for now."

"For now," he agreed, settling back into the pillows. "But I bet your kisses are a better medicine than elderberries any day."

Her eyes softened with laughter as her eyes ran over the details of his face. Even weak with fever, he had a fierce strength that she loved. With a sigh, she nestled next to him in the bed, fitting perfectly into the muscular crook of his arm. "I guess I'll have to stay with you then. In case you need more."

"Oh, I will," he breathed heavily, his eyes drifting comfortably closed. "I'll always need more."


	3. Never Forget::BBxTerra

**Author's Note:** Wow, it's been quite a while. I actually posted this one on tumblr a long time ago. Well, when BBTerra Week rolled around. This was the only story I did for the week for the theme "Shadows." I'm a sucker for tragic endings and I ship BBTerra as that. I do still ship it as something that has happened, just without a happy ending, so I wanted to convey that.

Please read according to your ship without condemning any others. I know I mostly write BBRae works, but the opportunity to write this presented itself. Though BBRae appear in this story, I like to think their relationship is more clearly open to interpretation in this story than most. Read it as you will.

And I do love reviews if you care to give them!

* * *

"Shadows" on July 8th

_**Never Forget**_

* * *

The darkness of night could not dampen Terra's sunshine mood. In fact, the light shone even brighter when they were together. She skipped backward on the path back to Titans Tower so that she could see his face as she exclaimed, "Best pizza ever!"

"You're exaggerating," he accused, but he returned the grin anyway. Why fight the mood when it made him just as happy?

"No, I'm serious. I've had pizza, but that was pizza. I seriously think my fingers are still greasy." To prove the point, she tugged the glove from her hand and shoved her fingers in his face. "I could eat that kind of pizza all day."

"I'm glad you like it," he said on a laugh.

"You're not so bad yourself," she spun back around so her eyes were back on the road. Each rock under her foot rumbled with her excited steps. But Terra was used to the ground moving under her. She was used to the world moving around her. She wasn't used to having someone next to her. It was a very good feeling; one she could get used to.

No matter how bright her mood though, it couldn't chase away every shadow. One cast by a bush in front of her moved as the leaves rustled loudly. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, jumping back.

Gar's arm jutted out to catch her as she lost her balance. The ground moved out from under her. Only she could feel it, which was worlds better than when all of Jump City had, but it unsettled her all the same. Fearful of falling, she clung to his outstretched arm.

She hated that she'd been so on edge lately. Comfort came at a cost, and she wasn't sure how to balance all of the elements of her life. When she was with Beast Boy, though, she tried to ignore it. He made her feel good enough that she didn't want to worry about everything else. When a green frog emerged from the bush to hop across the path, she felt instantly ridiculous.

"Of course it was," she said, trying to chuckle, but it came out forced. "Just a frog."

"Just a frog," he added. "Looks a little like me, don't you think?"

"The eyes are pretty spot on. But you wouldn't scare me like that," she reluctantly let go of his arm so that she could run a straightening hand through the waterfall of blonde hair. She adjusted her glove and reconsidered. "Maybe you would."

Gar's eyebrow quirked up mischievously. "Maybe I would..." In a gesture for effect, he crouched and smirked. "Ever hear a bush rustling behind you, it could be any old green frog. Or it could be..."

"A green tiger, bear, bird, bee?" she supplied.

"Me," he said.

With the comfort of that in mind, the shadows brightened again.

...

Garfield just stared out over the ocean, unmoving and unblinking. His mind shouted at him to stretch his aching muscles, to give in to temptation, and even to go inside. The pebble sat heavily in his hand, wanting to be thrown, but he couldn't let it go. The stupid rock was nothing. It was a symbol, a memory, a past. But, damn, he just couldn't let it go.

The sound of the bush rustling behind him almost sent his tense muscles over the edge. For the briefest moment, the part of him that couldn't let go dared to hope. "Terra?"

"No," she said. "Sorry."

His eyes stung, finally forcing him to blink, if only to force back the tears. "Every little thing," he bit out through gritted teeth. "Every little thing is tied to her." He couldn't tell if he was talking to her or himself, but it felt good to say it. The pebble cut into his palm, he gripped it so tightly. "The stupid pizza, the stupid rocks, and that sound... Sometimes I even think I still see her shadow."

"I know," she said. Raven stepped next to him. Her dark clothes and features blended almost into the night surrounding her. Violet eyes fixed on the same waters he'd stared at for hours, not meeting his. He didn't want them to. That would be too personal. But he was glad for her presence. That alone was enough.

"I miss her," he moaned, the agony of it truly coursing through him. Emotions always felt so numb until they were finally admitted aloud. Maybe that was how Raven coped.

She said nothing, just stood there as the wind lifted and tossed her short hair and lengthy cloak.

"I want to be alone, but I really don't want to be alone." At this point, he didn't think he could ever let go of the tiny rock. He'd probably put it in his pocket or keep it on his dresser so he'd never forget. Not that he could, when even the ground beneath him reminded him of her. "I just wish that she were here," he breathed. It hurt to say, but he had to say it to someone.

She was quiet for a long time. They were quiet. The water whispered constantly, but every now and then, the wind set the bush aflutter and his heart would leap painfully all over again. Regardless of the reality he knew had to be true.

Finally, she said—very quietly so as not to interrupt the calm—"I know."


End file.
